Spring's Nature Highlights
| Published: 10th March 2008 15:07 |
April is a great time to be outdoors looking at our wildlife, with flowers bursting into colour, animals coming out to play, and insects beginning to emerge.
House Sparrow looking forward to SpringMany of our summer migrants arrive - remember to look out for the first swallows. Bird song will increase in volume so your early morning sleep may be disturbed by nature's orchestra. Birds will be establishing territories and males will be looking for a mate. Some birds such as the blackbird and the robin will already be in the middle of raising their first family. Chiff-chaffs may also be heard.
Badgers will be active with many of the young emerging above ground for the first time. Adults may also be seen as they go out on nightly foraging expeditions. Watch out as you drive at dusk, as this time is one when many badger road casualties are found.
Many woodland plants flower at this time, so they can make the most of the sunshine before they are shaded out by trees coming into full leaf. The nation's favourite flower, the bluebell will be adorning woodland floors.
Primroses Lesser celandine, marsh marigold, cowslips and primroses are some of the other flowers that will be adding a splash of colour to our countryside. If you spot a cuckooflower then listen out for a cuckoo. According to folklore, this flower is so called as the flowers only open when the cuckoo begins to call.
The first reptiles will be out after hibernation - you may find adders, grass snakes and slow worms basking in the sun. The grass snake is Britain's largest snake at over a metre long. It is harmless and easily recognised by the distinctive yellow and black collar behind its head. You can send your records as part of the Community Heritage Initiative Snakes Alive survey!
Flying in gardens, along hedgerows and banks, will be some of our butterfly species. Two of the easiest to identify are; the peacock distinguished by its deep red wings and peacock markings, and the orange tip, which as the name suggests, has orange tipped wings.
Meanwhile down on ponds, frogspawn will have turned into tadpoles, usually developing into frogs within 21 days. Many of the adults will now be leaving for dry land. If you have a pond, go down one night with a torch and see if you can spot our common newt - the smooth newt playing out his courtship of the female by fanning his tail.
At the Community Heritage Initiative (CHI) we are keen to have records of your wildlife sightings. You can send your records to us at CHI, Holly Hayes Environment and Heritage Resources Centre, 216 Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicestershire, LE4 4DG or email chi@leics.gov.uk. If you are interested in getting involved in any of the surveys which include; reptiles, butterflies, ladybirds and many more, please contact us on 0116 267 1377 or email chis@leics.gov.uk. The surveys are also available to download at www.leics.gov.uk/celebrating_wildlife.
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